Clarias gariepinus
Clarias gariepinus (''African sharptooth catfish)' Kingdom: '''Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Siluriformes Family: Clariidae Genus: Clarias Species: Clarias gariepinus Environment: milieu, climate zone, depth range, distribution range: Freshwater; benthopelagic; pH range: 6.5 - 8.0; dH range: 5 - 28; potamodromous; depth range 0 - 80 m. Subtropical; 8°C - 35°C; 42°N - 28°S, 17°W - 51°E. Distribution: Africa: almost Pan-Africa, absent from Maghreb, the Upper and (most of the) Lower Guinea and the Cape province and probably also Nogal province. Asia: Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Syria and southern Turkey. Widely introduced to other parts of Africa, Europe and Asia. Several countries report adverse ecological impact after introduction. Size, weight, age: Max. length: 1.70 cm, common length: 90 cm; weight: 60 kg; age: 15 years Short description: North African catfish are elongate with fairly long dorsal and anal fins. The dorsal fin has 61-80 soft rays and the anal fin has 45-65 soft rays. They have strong pectoral fins with spines that are serrated on the outer side. This species can attain sizes of up to 1.7 meters including the tail and can weigh up to 59 kg when fully grown. They posses nasal and maxiallary barbels and somewhat smallish eyes. Their coloring is dark grey or black dorsally and cream colored ventrally. Adults posses a dark longitudinal lines on either side of the head; however, this is absent in young fish. Adult's heads are coursely granulated, while the head is smooth in the young. The head is large, depressed, and heavily boned. The mouth is quite large and subterminal. Biology: Adults occur mainly in quiet waters, lakes and pools and prefer rather shallow and swampy areas with a soft muddy substrate and calmer water. They may also occur in fast flowing rivers and in rapids. The two known colour types appear to correlate with water turbidity and substrate type. Widely tolerant of extreme environmental conditions. Water parameters appear to play only a very minor role. The presence of an accessory breathing organ enables this species to breath air when very active or under very dry conditions. They remain in the muddy substrates of ponds and occasionally gulp air through the mouth. Can leave the water at night using its strong pectoral fins and spines in search of land-based food or can move into the breeding areas through very shallow pathways. Omnivorous bottom feeders which occasionally feed at the surface. Feed at night on a wide variety of prey like insects, plankton, invertebrates and fish but also take in young birds, rotting flesh and plants. Migrate to rivers and temporary streams to spawn. Also caught with dragnets. During intra-specific aggressive interactions, this species was noted to generate electric organ discharges that were monophasic, head-positive and lasting from 5-260 ms. Known as sharptooth catfish in aquaculture, a highly recommended food fish in Africa. Marketed fresh and frozen; eaten broiled, fried and baked. Life cycle and mating behavior: Oviparous. Spawning takes place during the rainy season in flooded deltas. The fishes make a lateral migration towards the inundated plains to breed and return to the river or lake soon afterwards while the juveniles remain in the inundated area. Juveniles return to the lake or river when they are between 1.5 and 2.5 cm long. First sexual maturity occurs when females are between 40-45 cm and males between 35-40 cm. Eggs are greenish. Incubations lasts little (about 33 hours at 25°C). Main reference: Teugels, G.G., 1986. A systematic revision of the African species of the genus Clarias (Pisces; Clariidae). Ann. Mus. R. Afr. Centr., Sci. Zool., 247:199 p. IUCN Red List Status: LEAST CONCERN (''LC)' '''CITES: Not Evaluated CMS: Not Evaluated Threat to humans: Potential pest Human uses: Fisheries: minor commercial; aquaculture: commercial; gamefish: yes. Category:Clariidae, Airbreathing catfishes